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Maker Faire Bay Area 2009
Electronics Prototyping Process / Napkin Schematics

Stage B , Saturday 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM This talk will help put the entire prototyping process into context. We will cover all the milestone phases, including:concept & planning, PCB design & layout, considerations for manufacturing higher quantities, and more. This is a great discussion for folks who are interested in getting a big-picture summary of DIY technology and how to start creating their own electronic widgets.

Stage B , Sunday 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM We use Napkin Schematics to hash out the beginning thoughts for SparkFun projects as a pre-cursor to a legitimate schematic. The goal of this class is to help you sketch out the block diagrams for your individual project. It will be taught in a round-table format. It's an ideal class for those who have an idea for an electronics 'widget' but are not quite familiar enough with the beginning stages of the prototyping process. You will need to bring a project that is on your mind, some paper or a sketching journal, and we'll help you fill in the blanks. Projects can range from medical devices, art, electronic 'helper' devices, consumer products, you name it, we'll try to help! You are welcome to use any chip, technology, or development board that you would like - we'll try to dig up whatever information we need to answer your questions. We will recommend available technologies, describe various interface requirements, and show what pitfalls to look out for - but we also encourage attendees to participate with their own recommendation!

2 presentations

Web site: http://www.sparkfun.com/

About the Maker(s)

Nathan Seidle
A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Nathan Seidle came to CU-Boulder as an electrical engineering student in 2000. During his junior year, Nathan was designing one of his first microcontroller projects when his programmer sparked and burned out. Looking for an affordable replacement, he noticed a lack of resources and online stores catering to developers and prototypers. During winter break from school, Nathan maxed out his credit cards with inventory (and pizza) and went to work building an easy to use website. SparkFun launched shortly after in January of 2003. Nathan maintained Spark Fun Electronics part-time during his junior and senior years and grew it as much as he could while keeping up with schoolwork. By the time he completed his degree in 2004, the company had grown enough to support his full-time efforts-and his first employee's as well. Now in its sixth year, the company employs five-dozen people and maintains a growing office on the outskirts of Boulder.